John Peck is a long time surfboard shaper from South Orange County most famous for shaping his signature surfboard called The Penetrator.

The Penetrator is a long board with a distinctive rail that is different from other boards. This board take the turned down rail or 60/40 style rail and runs it around the entire board.

In an interview on Kordury.tv John Peck says “this board is a total function-able design where when you stand on the back of the board it slows down and is maneuverable. While if you walk to the front of the board it speeds up and gets stiffer. There is nothing strange going on in the transition when you walk back and forth on the board.”

In the photos below you can check out the shape and notice the rails how they are turned down. These type of rails keep the board planing on top of the water and are typically more reactive and maneuverable. This type of rail is used on a lot of performance board however, the rail goes from softer rails in the front to the down turned rail and finally going to a hard edge in the tail. The Penetrator takes it all the way around the nose, down the sides and then it gets a harder edge in the tail. The couple I have seen do not have any concave in the nose or any Vee in the tail.

Korduroy has a killer video with and interview and footage Peck riding his Penetrator in some decent beach break. Here is the link: Korduroy.tv

7 Responses to “John Peck Penetrator”

Thanks for the free publicity. If you look at the bottom foil closer, you will notice the transition from flat in the nose to rolled in the tail… that is the essential reason the progression of walking the board works the way it does. That board pictured is an Ultra Flight Penetrator(one of three different designs). I will be posting a clearification and detailed information on my web site soon. Mahalo JP Aum

As John says the Penetrator shown is an UltraFlight model, thinner and more suited to sizable clean surf. I was fortunate enough to own a 10ft UltraFlight and it opened my eyes to the down-railed flat bottom design concept. Unfortunately it didn’t perform well in the mediocre beachbreaks we have here in the UK and was prone to catch a rail in choppy or bumpy conditions. Wish I’d kept it though, it was signed by John with Love and I doubt I will ever be able to get another. The distinctive twin stringers set 10 inches apart gave the board great stability and strength and man are they fast!!
Beautiful boards from a wonderful human being.

John, if you happen to read this I would love to hear from you again. Sadly I no longer have your contact details. There isn’t a day goes by I don’t regret parting with my Penetrator. Like so many things in life we often don’t realize their value till they are gone. Sad but true.Thankfuly I still have the inspirational letter and signed photo you so kindly sent me that got me through the dark times and probably saved my life.

I have a love/hate relationship with my “Classic Penetrator.” It’s a very quirky ride. My board is a 9-4 and is perhaps undersized for me at 190 lbs, although I think it rides pretty well as a shorter longboard. There are things it does well. It’s real slippery on a hollow wall, the thickish, roundy rail in the center allowing it to climb and drop effortlessly. And when you move up to the front third, the board takes off like a rocket, startlingly fast. However, a squared-off bottom turn (honestly, almost any bottom turn) goes nowhere, and to me it seems as though there is a terrible dead spot in the center of the board where it’s just sloooow. When I first got the Peck I hated it, but as I kept riding it grew on me. I rode it steadily for a year and loved it. Then I got a board that’s almost the complete opposite of the Peck and instantly fell in love with it. Now I only take the Peck out a handful of times per year, so maybe I’m being unfair in my criticisms. I’ve kind of settled into thinking of it as a one trick pony, a fast noserider that isn’t all that versatile. But hey, put it in some hollow waves, take off on an angle, move up a little, grab the rail and scream out of there. And of course it’s a beautiful, elegant board.

I got my Penster a couple months ago, and immediately took across to France for the autumn swell, and it was brilliant, now its out for calmer days in West Wales, and holds pride of place, tucked away in my back garden shed/shack, Thanks Bish